Final answer:
Evidence-based medicine prioritizes empirical evidence over theoretical considerations for medical practices and treatments. It aligns with the realist view, which emphasizes the verification of a theory's predictions through objective, tangible evidence obtained from scientific investigation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evidence-based medicine places a high value on empirical evidence when it comes to the support and validation of medical practices, treatments, and theories. This approach favors observations of the natural world and data obtained through experiments over purely theoretical models or a priori reasoning. Empirical evidence is considered superior because it is based on objective, tangible evidence that can be observed repeatedly, regardless of who is observing it. In the context of medicine, empirical evidence often is derived from rigorous scientific investigations, such as controlled experiments that can establish causation, and observational studies that may show correlation between variables.
There are different philosophical views about the nature of scientific theories. An instrumentalist view suggests that a theory works if its predictions can be verified, while the realist view holds that a theory provides true explanations if its predictions can be empirically verified. The conceptual relativist view, on the other hand, relies on the coherence of a theory with other accepted truths. Evidence-based medicine aligns most closely with the realist view, seeking to base medical decisions on data that corresponds with reality and is verified through empirical testing.